Sabertooth Z87 Immediately Shuts Off

[seniorquico]

My machine has been working great for about 5 months. Unfortunately, I've run into a problem this evening and it's no longer booting. My setup:

Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit
ASUS Sabertooth Z87
Intel Core i7-4770k
Corsair 4x8GB CMY32GX3M4A1866C9
Rosewill FORTRESS-650 PSU
No Discrete GPU

I went to take a break, and I put Windows to sleep. I came back a couple hours later, and the box was off (no flashing power LED indicating it was asleep). I tried turning it back on, and the power LED & power supply/assistant fans turned on for about a second then turned back off. I've read through the forums and tried several troubleshooting steps:

1) Reset CMOS.
2) Tested with alternate PSU (Rosewill CAPSTONE-450).
3) Tested with 1 stick of RAM (tried all 4 on their own).
4) Reflashed BIOS using USB flashback.

It continues to power off almost immediately after powering on. I only ever set the XMP memory profile, never tried any CPU OC.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? What steps should I take to try and get the box running again? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[JBBlack]

That type of thing is usually a bad (or improperly seated) CPU cooler/fan that sends an immediate signal to the MoBo telling it to shut down or risk wrecking the CPU. BUT a bad CD rom can also cause some crazy stuff to happen at boot.

To be honest, I don't think a 450watt PSU is strong enough to run a rig like that ( I could be wrong), and your 650 could have gone bye-bye.

But before you try to replace the cooler or spend any money, FIRST thing I would do is borrow a 750w or 850w quality PSU that you know is working, unhook (just unplug) any CD DVD roms from power/plugs and see if that works.

If not at least those 2 things have been truly eliminated before you yank the MoBo to mess with the cooler or start to spend any cash.


Good Luck brother, and have a Happy New Year! :cool:

PS: I would not try to run that rig with anything less than a Quality 750w psu.

[HiVizMan]

OP have you resolved this issue yet?

[seniorquico]

I have not yet resolved my issue. Here's some additional information:

The only LED illuminated on the motherboard is the green standby power LED close to the bottom. No other LED's illuminate during the brief power-on/off cycle (at least that are detectable by the human eye). I've also tried the DirectKey and MemOK! buttons without different results.

The CPU is cooled by the following:

XSPC RayStorm (Chrome) Water Block
XSPC RX360 Rev 2 Radiator
D5 Pump at (nominal) 1500 l/h

AI Suite III always reported CPU temps in the range of 22C to 32C depending on my active workload and ambient temp.

The only additional devices in the system are the three disks, one Crucial M4 256GB SSD and two Western Digital 500GB Black drives. No optical drives, no card readers, etc.. All three drives were disconnected (SATA & power) during my tests (and all were tested in an alternate system without issue), so I omitted them from the original problem statement. All USB peripherals except keyboard & mouse (which I also iterated between keyboard, mouse, keyboard & mouse, and two different keyboards) were also disconnected during my tests.

I tested the PSU, and all voltages are operating within 2% tolerance.

@JBBlack: Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a larger PSU without making an additional purchase. I know that my peak draw is 180W. I guess it's possible that one of the 450W's rails could be overpowered, though. I had also thought about reseating the CPU and water block. Is it wiser to try reseating the CPU and installing the Intel heatsink and fan for testing purposes?

[HiVizMan]

The absence of any LED leads me to assume (which I hate doing) that your motherboard (or the PSU not sure how you tested so ...) is dead.

RMA your board please.

[seniorquico]

@HiVizMan: Thanks for the reply (even though it's unfortunate). I asked the local repair shop about testing the PSU for me, but they explained on odd procedure and contraption that would have sat in-series with the PSU & motherboard connected (they failed to grasp my desire to test the components isolated from each other). They assured me this was the only way to test an ATX PSU. Instead, I loaded the PSU using a resistor & LED and tested the voltages myself using a recently calibrated digital multimeter.

@JBBlack & HiVizMan: Happy New Year!

I realize the PSU test is less than ideal (a low-wattage, steady-state load). Any hints on how to better test this? I'm not convinced their test will actually work (because the machine immediately shuts off). I also wasn't convinced their $50.00 price tag was a worthwhile expense. I'd rather put that money toward a new PSU.

[JBBlack]

Man I feel your pain brother been there myself. I wonder why the PC shop just can't insert a known-fully working PSU rather then testing yours, it takes 10 mins max to swap out a PSU and I KNOW, if they are any good at all, they have one they use for testing. BUT I also understand how business works so I can appreciate that they must charge for everything they do.

I know this is not going to be an ideal suggestion to you, and trust me I realize that times are tough, but I would not bother spending $50 testing that PSU when you can get a sound solid quality 850watt for around $150.

Here is the one I got my son: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

His computer just one day started turning off while gaming, we tested the CPU and RAM then the video card in another PC but then it just became apparent the PSU was going out and the PC just wasn't getting enough juice when it needed it. NOT your same problem but just one of the ways your computer tells you it needs more power.

SQ I cannot say for sure that it's your PSU...no one can for sure without testing, BUT if you put the cash into a solid PSU your only making a wise investment, as a PC builder/gamer of 20 years one thing I always try to do is have a good power supply waiting in backup.
If you invest in a solid PSU and it doesn't cure your problem AND you made sure it's not one of your CD roms than you are down to 2 things, motherboard (RMA) or your cooler is not functioning correctly. And as HiVis has stated at this point it looks more and more like you may have to RMA your motherboard. BUT not only will you will have a good PSU to use in the new board BUT you will have a backup JIC you need one.

ultimately SQ this is a decision your going to have to make on your own, and I wish I could know for sure that I am giving you the best advice but I can't, computer building problems are mostly cured through a process of elimination.

Best of Luck!

PS: think about this, even if that 650watt psu is not bad and seems like it's strong enough to run your Powerful system, if you use your system everyday and for gaming and plan on overclocking at all your going to beat that 650 to death. Not enough OR "just enough" power in a PC is never a good thing, but more power then you need never gets wasted. 😉

[JBBlack]

NOTE: There a re a TON of great PSU's out there, that link I posted is just an example showing what I got to replace a bad PSU, in NO WAY am I suggesting that the PSU I bought is the best option, people all have their favorite brands, mine is personally PC Power and Cooling or Seasonic.

And my suggestions on power come from a guy who has damn near ever slot filled and currently running 5 HDD's...lol

[seniorquico]

Thanks, JBBlack. I tried reseating the CPU & cooler, and there were no changes in behavior. I've also been thinking a backup supply would be a good item to have on-hand. If it still doesn't work with the second supply then I think the board is destined for a RMA.

[HiVizMan]

Keep us informed mate of the progress.